Website accessibility basics: making your site usable by everyone

Web accessibility means building your website so that people can use it whatever their eyesight, hearing, movement or device: someone who uses a screen reader, an older customer who enlarges the text, a farmer reading in bright sun on a cracked phone screen. In practice it comes down to readable text, enough contrast, proper labels and a site that still works when conditions are not perfect. Most of it costs little when it is planned from the start, and it makes the site easier for everyone.

Who accessibility helps

It is easy to think of accessibility as something for a small group. In reality the same fixes help a lot of people:

• Blind and low-vision visitors who use screen readers or zoom. A screen reader reads the page aloud, including image descriptions and button names, but only if those exist.
• Older customers who need larger text and stronger contrast: often the parent ordering medicine or the owner choosing a supplier.
• People with limited hand movement who struggle with tiny buttons or navigate with a keyboard.
• People who are deaf or hard of hearing, who need captions on videos.
• Everyone in poor conditions: bright sunlight, a small screen, slow mobile data, a noisy bus with no headphones.

The four principles behind the guidelines

The widely used reference is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), published by the W3C. Its many detailed rules sit under four plain ideas:

1. Perceivable: people can see or hear the content in some form. Images have text descriptions, videos have captions, and text has enough contrast.
2. Operable: people can use every part of the site, including with a keyboard, and nothing disappears or moves before they can deal with it.
3. Understandable: the wording is clear, forms say what they need, and error messages explain how to fix the problem.
4. Robust: the site is built with proper, standard code, so browsers and assistive tools can interpret it correctly.

You do not need to memorise the guidelines. A developer who knows them can build to them. Your part is to ask for it and to check the basics.

Ten checks you can do yourself

1. Zoom in. Use your browser's zoom to make the text much larger. Does the page still work, or do parts overlap and disappear?
2. Contrast. Light grey text on white, or white text over a busy photo, is hard for many people to read. Free online contrast checkers tell you whether your colours meet the guideline.
3. Image descriptions. Each meaningful image should have alt text that describes it ("Blue cotton three-piece, front view"), not a file name like "photo1.jpg".
4. Put the mouse away. Press Tab to move through the page. Can you reach every link and button, and can you see where you are?
5. Form labels. Every field needs a visible label, not just grey placeholder text that vanishes once someone starts typing.
6. Link wording. Links should say where they lead ("See delivery charges"), not "click here".
7. Headings. Pages should use real headings in a sensible order, so screen reader users can jump between sections.
8. Not colour alone. Do not show errors or stock status only in red or green; add words or an icon.
9. Captions. Add captions to videos, especially ones people may watch with the sound off.
10. Tap targets. Buttons on phones should be large enough and not crowded together.

Notes for Bangla websites

• Use real text, not text inside images. A banner image carrying a Bangla offer cannot be read by a screen reader, cannot be enlarged cleanly and is invisible to search engines. Put the words on the page as Unicode text.
• Declare the language. The page code should state whether a page is in Bangla or English, so screen readers pick the right voice and pronunciation.
• Choose readable Bangla fonts and give them enough size and line spacing, because conjuncts become hard to read when cramped. Bangla web typography goes into this in detail.
• Listen to your pages. Both Android phones and iPhones include a screen reader in their accessibility settings. Try it on your Bangla pages; how well Bangla is read aloud varies by device and voice.

Where accessibility, mobile and search overlap

Many accessibility fixes are also good mobile design and good SEO: clear headings, descriptive links, image descriptions, fast loading and text that resizes properly. If your site already struggles on phones, accessibility work fits naturally into a mobile-first redesign.

Some countries have laws that require accessibility from certain organisations, and expectations differ from place to place. If you sell to foreign buyers or work with public bodies or international organisations, ask what they require, and take legal advice where it matters.

Where to start

Run the ten checks on three pages: your home page, your most visited page, and your contact or order form. Fix the inexpensive problems first, such as contrast, image descriptions, form labels and link wording. Then ask your developer to treat accessibility as a normal requirement for every new page. If you would like a review of your site, you can get in touch or read about my web development service.